Notebook monitor native resoluttion question

[dtleahy7]

Pardon my ignorance of notebook computer monitors.

I have a need to display 1280x1024 (still images) on a notebook computer. The images need to be crisp, with the correct aspect ratio, not stretched or compressed. From what I have read, I want to display these 1280x1024 images at native resolution. However, no current notebook computers seem to offer 1280x1024 as a native resolution for the monitor.

I see that 1400x1050 is one native resolution for at least some notebook monitors. Can they be set up to display 1280x1024 image in the center of the screen, with black bars on the left and right? (I'm guessing that would probably be better than stretching the 1280x1024 images to fit the screen.)

So the first question is: what is the best screen resolution to display 1280x1024 images on a notebook computer's integrated monitor? And my second question is: What notebook manufacturer and model would you choose (no gaming requirement, not even movies - just general office plus these 1280x1024 still images)?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Dennis

 

[dtleahy7]

OK... maybe I phrased my primary question poorly...

A little more research turned up "fixed aspect ratio scaling", which is what I think I want the notebook to display. I assume that's dependent on the video card and video software/drivers. Am I getting warmer?

Dennis

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Welcome to AT.

I don't have a good answer for you since I'm not really a laptop guy, but you might find more help in this area

http://forums.anandtech.com/categories.aspx?catid=51&flcache=7650898&entercat=y

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: dtleahy7
OK... maybe I phrased my primary question poorly...

A little more research turned up "fixed aspect ratio scaling", which is what I think I want the notebook to display. I assume that's dependent on the video card and video software/drivers. Am I getting warmer?

Dennis

You are warmer. Right click the desktop, then go to Graphics Options, then Panel Fit, and at last you want Center Desktop. Now right click your background again and go to Properties. Go to the Settings tab, on the far right, and move the slider to adjust your display resolution to 1280x1024. This may only work on laptops with Intel's integrated graphics, but it at least works on those.

If you want to use the entire laptop screen but use your still images as a background you can do that as well. To do that again right click your desktop and go to Properties (you can also access this through the Control Panel). This time to go the Desktop tab, second from the left. Go to browse, pick out your desired background, and change the position box (just underneath the browse button) to Center. This will show your still at its native resolution, whatever it may be, but in your case it will show up as 1280x1024.

edit: 1280x1024 is a 4:3 aspect ratio, what TVs historically have used, but the normal ratios for laptop displays are all widescreen, 16:10 and 16:9. I know you can find 4:3 screens though. I believe that IBM just added a widescreen line a few months ago, which means that all their other lines are 4:3, so I'd check there. Also, their ThinkPads are pretty highly recommended from what I've read. I'd be pretty surprised if you can't find a 1280x1024 display at least as an upgrade option, but then again you may be stuck with 1024x768 as the highest 4:3, you'll just have to look.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger

Originally posted by: dtleahy7
OK... maybe I phrased my primary question poorly...

A little more research turned up "fixed aspect ratio scaling", which is what I think I want the notebook to display. I assume that's dependent on the video card and video software/drivers. Am I getting warmer?

Dennis

You are warmer. Right click the desktop, then go to Graphics Options, then Panel Fit, and at last you want Center Desktop. Now right click your background again and go to Properties. Go to the Settings tab, on the far right, and move the slider to adjust your display resolution to 1280x1024. This may only work on laptops with Intel's integrated graphics, but it at least works on those.

If you want to use the entire laptop screen but use your still images as a background you can do that as well. To do that again right click your desktop and go to Properties (you can also access this through the Control Panel). This time to go the Desktop tab, second from the left. Go to browse, pick out your desired background, and change the position box (just underneath the browse button) to Center. This will show your still at its native resolution, whatever it may be, but in your case it will show up as 1280x1024.

edit: 1280x1024 is a 4:3 aspect ratio, what TVs historically have used, but the normal ratios for laptop displays are all widescreen, 16:10 and 16:9. I know you can find 4:3 screens though. I believe that IBM just added a widescreen line a few months ago, which means that all their other lines are 4:3, so I'd check there. Also, their ThinkPads are pretty highly recommended from what I've read. I'd be pretty surprised if you can't find a 1280x1024 display at least as an upgrade option, but then again you may be stuck with 1024x768 as the highest 4:3, you'll just have to look.

I didn't think he wanted to stretch the images to fit his desktop background as your first paragraph would do.

OP, are we talking desktop backgrounds or just images that need to be displayed as a slideshow or something?

1280x1024 is 5:4, not 4:3

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I didn't think he wanted to stretch the images to fit his desktop background as your first paragraph would do.

OP, are we talking desktop backgrounds or just images that need to be displayed as a slideshow or something?

1280x1024 is 5:4, not 4:3

Going to Center Desktop will but the black bars around the edges of the display like he's asking. You can go to "Graphics Properties..." and then the Display Settings pane, just above Graphics Options and do the exact same thing, except it has the pretty GMA interface and explains each of the three settings (Center Desktop, Maintain Aspect Ratio, and Full Screen).

As for the 5:4/4:3 thing, I goofed the numbers.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I didn't think he wanted to stretch the images to fit his desktop background as your first paragraph would do.

OP, are we talking desktop backgrounds or just images that need to be displayed as a slideshow or something?

1280x1024 is 5:4, not 4:3

Going to Center Desktop will but the black bars around the edges of the display like he's asking. You can go to "Graphics Properties..." and then the Display Settings pane, just above Graphics Options and do the exact same thing, except it has the pretty GMA interface and explains each of the three settings (Center Desktop, Maintain Aspect Ratio, and Full Screen).

As for the 5:4/4:3 thing, I goofed the numbers.

For your method I'm seeing you recommend telling him to set his resolution to 1280x1024.

I don't see how that would be a good idea to maintain the aspect ratio unless his screen is 5:4.

I have not tried this on a laptop with Intel integrated graphics though, so maybe I'm not understanding what you're telling him to do.

 

[Ruptga]

Center desktop keeps whatever res you set it to, and will put on black bars or even a black box if your res is low enough. Clear and undistorted but small

Maintain Aspect Ratio puts on black bars and stretches the image to keep the bars from turning into a box. Undistorted and mostly fullsize but fuzzy

Fullscreen just stretches everything to remove any black bars but of course your image is all messed up. Distorted and fuzzy but fullsize

I just tried all these settings out just to make sure I had it right myself.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
Center desktop keeps whatever res you set it to, and will put on black bars or even a black box if your res is low enough. Clear and undistorted but small

Maintain Aspect Ratio puts on black bars and stretches the image to keep the bars from turning into a box. Undistorted and mostly fullsize but fuzzy

Fullscreen just stretches everything to remove any black bars but of course your image is all messed up. Distorted and fuzzy but fullsize

I just tried all these settings out just to make sure I had it right myself.

I'm just worried about this part:

"Go to the Settings tab, on the far right, and move the slider to adjust your display resolution to 1280x1024."

 

[Ruptga]

It won't be a problem as long as his screen is bigger than 1280x1024, he'll just have black bars around the image, which is what he says he wants from the OP. What worries you?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
It won't be a problem as long as his screen is bigger than 1280x1024, he'll just have black bars around the image, which is what he says he wants from the OP. What worries you?

If he does not have the "center desktop" option (that I'm not used to seeing), that would stretch it out to fill the screen.

 

[dtleahy7]

Thanks to all of you for pondering this with me. Yes, the one application that this hinges on was a custom written application that uses every pixel of 1280x1024 to display a quasi-slideshow that is a huge flowchart. The text on the flowchart would be difficult to read if the text is stretched or compressed.

Hoping I can recommend a relatively cheap (Dell?) notebook, as this is really the only odd requirement for an otherwise easy life for a notebook.

Thanks!

Dennis

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Just a thought, but would it be possible to get a standard 1280x1024 LCD and hook that up to the laptop? Obviously it would add cost, but I imagine if it's critical that it be easy to read that would tend to work better. If you already had monitors of that res, that might be something to consider if it could work for your application.

 

[Ruptga]

This Center Desktop thing is a part of GMA 950, it shouldn't be hard to find a machine that has everything you want along with GMA 950. The other laptop graphics processors and drivers probably have something equivalent, but to make sure just look for something with the integrated GMA 950. Of course a laptop with a 1280x1024 res, or an external monitor of that res, would be perfect.

I did a quick look through Dell, HP, and IBM, and didn't find any SXGA (1280x1024) displays for laptops, everything is either XGA (1024x768) or widescreen like SXGA+ (1400x1050). That doesn't mean you can't get a laptop like that, it just means I didn't know where to look for one. Do post a thread in the SSF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones PCs section, someone there will know where exactly to look.

 

[dtleahy7]

In the research I did, I could not find any modern notebooks with a 1280x1024 screen. I'm not sure why the manufacturers passed that resolution by on the way to widescreen. Seems like a lot of businessmen might want to display something on a notebook the same way that it was displayed on their desktop computer. I know a lot of students buy notebooks, and for them, it is their Swiss Army Knife computer for gaming, movies, surfing, email, and scholarly work. So, I guess that's who the notebook manufacturers saw as their target, rather than businessmen.

For doing a trade show, an external monitor is an option that I had thought of. At most of the trade shows I have done, you are allowed to walk out the door each night with a notebook/laptop, but you have to leave a desktop computer and/or monitor in place in the trade show booth. So, it would be nice to have everything contained in that notebook and be able to walk out of the show each night confident that you would have all your hardware for the next day's show. (Stuff like nice LCD monitors sometimes are stolen after-hours at trade shows.) This is an option that I have looked into, for me, and I would include an external keyboard and external mouse as well.

In another real-life scenario, there is a guy who wants to take a notebook into people's homes to teach them some of the content. He would not be willing to take any extra hardware with him - just a notebook. So, I have to help him find a relatively inexpensive notebook that will display 1280x1024 without distorting the images.

I'll do as suggested, and post in the area more specific to notebooks. Thanks again for the assistance!

Dennis

 

[corkyg]

IMy last laptop had a 1280x1024 screen. It was large and heavy, and unweildy on an airline seat tray. I now use a 1280 x 768 laptop. The resolution is the same - just not as much shows vertically without scrolling.

You might find a 1280x1024 notebook around - the Gateway 9300cx was exactly that.

1280x1024

It was a very solid and good performer I lugged it around all over the world for about 2 years, but got tired of the weight. It was about 9.5 lbs not including accessories.

I would check E-Bay to see if a good 9300cx is still around.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: dtleahy7
In the research I did, I could not find any modern notebooks with a 1280x1024 screen. I'm not sure why the manufacturers passed that resolution by on the way to widescreen. Seems like a lot of businessmen might want to display something on a notebook the same way that it was displayed on their desktop computer. I know a lot of students buy notebooks, and for them, it is their Swiss Army Knife computer for gaming, movies, surfing, email, and scholarly work. So, I guess that's who the notebook manufacturers saw as their target, rather than businessmen.

I think it's more that most people don't run applications that force you to run in inconvenient resolutions like 1280x1024 (this is a very odd choice for a single resolution; 1024x768 is more common if you're going to pick just one resolution).

You can't run this thing in a 1280x1024 window on a higher-resolution display?